Why Supporting AAPI Businesses Matters

Supporting AAPI businesses is important to me as a consumer and copywriter.

You may be thinking, well duh...you're Asian. But that's not why.

​Let me tell you why it matters.

 
I wasn't always so grounded in my racial identity. 
 
Some of you get it. It's complicated being a non-white American.
 
Sometimes it's downright scary.
 
Like that time a man accosted my family and I at Disneyland because he thought we were the "wrong" Asian...(I'll save that story for another time).
 
Needless to say, it took me a little while to be comfortable being all of me all the time.
 
But supporting AAPI businesses goes deeper than my own personal identity issues. It's about rectifying history, too.
 
I'm sure you know that Chinese immigrants helped build the railroads in the U.S.
 
But did you know that when the first transcontinental railroad was completed in Promontory Summit, Utah, a historic photo was taken of the railroad workers surrounding two locomotives.
 
It was literally a picture of east meeting west.
 
BUT...the Chinese laborers were cut out of the photo. They were intentionally cut out of history.

And it's not like they weren't standing there for the picture. They were!

For a long time, if Asians in America weren't made invisible, many were forced to whitewash their businesses (*ahem,* Chinese food), or even turn against their own to succeed.
 
But when I see a brand like Cocokind, Blueland, or even Asian American Girl Club which is more specifically founded on celebrating our Asian American identities, it feels like we as a group of people are stepping into our own identities. And that's something to celebrate. 
 
My mom used to tell me, "Always work for someone else. Don't work for yourself. If you work for someone else you'll always get a paycheck and benefits."

But that's not necessarily true is it?

However, working for someone else is the safer route. Immigrant parents don't want their kids to suffer the hardships they went through.

But the thing is, we also now know that while Asian Americans make up a large part of the workforce, we are the least likely to be promoted to management or leadership levels.

I've witnessed and experienced this myself. And in my personal opinion, it has a lot to do with stereotypes and expectations of us to fit those stereotypes or be forced into them. 

But we're no longer our parents' or grandparents' generations. 

We have our own unique identity and set of values that blends our eastern and western upbringings.

So, when we support AAPI businesses it's about changing history, and recognizing our values and contributions. It's about thriving authentically.
​
At least, that's how I feel about it. What are your thoughts?